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The Anniversary
The scream filled the manor. Bruce and Diana woke with a start – the anniversary had come again. They both got up quickly and made it to their second son's room. He was sitting straight up, his body shaking and breathing labored.
"Jason, breath. You're okay. Breathe in and out, in and out. Good, that's my boy." Bruce said as he rubbed Jason's back.
"We are right here, my sun and stars," Diana assured grabbing her son's hand.
In the other bedrooms of the manor the rest of the family knew what day was upon them once again, all except for Damian. They all tried to be there for him or stay out of his way, whatever he was feeling. He usually woke early (from a nightmare). Alfred would prepare an early breakfast of all his favorites and the rest of the batkids would get up and act like it wasn't unusual to have breakfast a 4 a.m. And while the day was focused on Jason, the others mourned the day in their own ways. Dick would usually slip away to the gym for a bit and put himself through a particularly difficult routine. Elena would read some of Catcher in the Rye a book Jason had given her to read just a week before "it" happened. After he died she read the story over and over in a desperate attempt to feel closer to him. Tim always tried to fade into the shadows on this day. He hadn't known Jason before so he felt like he was intruding by being there. The last couple of years the two had started to get along and Jason sensed what Tim was doing. Jason would allow him to disappear for a while, but he would always find him before the day was over and force him to play video games or something.
As for Jason he never felt much for leaving the manor. He often spent some time with Diana, trying in vain to make up for the horrible son he'd been on that day. The furthest he would usually go was to the Cave to let out some frustration. It was in the Cave Jason knew he could find his father. Sometimes they would spar and other times both would start to stare at the Robin Case. They wouldn't talk, they didn't need to, but before both would go back to the manor Bruce would pull Jason into a fierce hug and Jason would not fight it- in fact he would meet his father's intensity.